I took a short road trip to the island this week. I wanted to get certified to do a rather comprehensive, complicated test for dyslexia.
This road trip was way off the richter scale in challenges. Beginning with us leaving about three hours late with my colleague's three children and their three legged dog following us in their van. When stopping to use a washroom at the first turnoff the daughter put the wheel of her van right over the edge of the road and was stuck there quite firmly. We asked a carload of young adults nearby for muscles which they happily provided. They high fived the daughter for finding the one place where she could stick her tire over the edge. Funny.
The toilets were locked so we took a detour into Merritt. Unfortunately we missed the turnoff only to discover that it was the last turnoff into the city. We pressed on, certain that there would be another. There wasn't. So we looked for roads across the ditch. We drove many miles before we realized they were few and faaaar between! Having passed the second one due to the darkness, I just made a corporate decision that our travel convoy would drive the wrong way down the highway back to the passover. The daughter thought this was naughty but she looked delighted. We got some honking as we slunk along the edge of the road but soon we were on our way back into Merritt. It was a detour we surely didn't need but I had told Darla at the outset that we were off on an adventure...
Little did I know.
We had hoped to spend our first night on the island but by midnight we were exhausted and needed to bed down in Langley. We had to be up by 6 to catch the 8 o'clock ferry.
Getting to the ferry was a cinch and the ride across the ocean was lovely - crisp morning breezes sent our hair flying in all directions as we gazed out over the water hoping to see a whale. We had to settle on jumping fish. The youngest said he saw a lion fish and an eel. He was so serious. Imagine that I missed seeing them - I only saw the splash. This young man is an absolute delight and I've had the pleasure of teaching him the reading program three times so we're fairly much bonded for life.
Amazingly enough, we arrived at my instructor's place in Sooke only half an hour late. The daughter followed us so that we could show her where we would be and could give her the GPS. My colleague claims she and her daughter are directionally challenged. I thought the guy on the GPS was challenged with the crazy long slow routes he advised us to take. He seemed to really love residential areas. I wanted to throw him out the window. By the end of this short road trip it seemed I had joined the ranks of the directionally impaired. I don't know how it happened...
The washroom at my instructor's place was not wheelchair accessible - not for me at least. After hurling her toilet seat onto the floor and nearly landing there myself, I found the nearest McDonalds and that's where we made frequent stops. I am eternally grateful to that fine eating establishment for providing wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Finally we settled down to begin the course. The instructor did a rather lengthy "preamble" and we did bits of reading in between her running out to help her husband who recently had a severe stroke. Meanwhile my colleague was getting frantic text messages from her daughter saying the van caught fire and they were getting it towed to a garage. Therefore a rescue mission ensued and my friend went off to get her children. Three hours later we reconvened, thinking we'd be able to actually get some work done on the course as it was already 5 pm.
However, at this late hour my instructor very suddenly decided we were all going down to the ocean side (Whiff n Spitt) to have our class. Her husband in his wheelchair and his attendant were also coming. My colleague and I were somewhat confused over this sudden turn of events and laughed over the strange day that was progressing along with very little of the seminar actually taking place. So we had a short session down at the oceanside in the dusk. It was very beautiful and I am so grateful that I at least got to sit by the ocean for this hour after spending hundreds of dollars going to the Island. We got stuck due to road construction for quite some time on the way home. No surprise there...
I had a horrible run in with the washroom at the cabin as well. I was unable to close the door and could not get close enough to the toilet to safely transfer. Thankfully my colleague was able to help me. I lay in bed that night wondering how early McDonalds opened in the morning. Darla gave me wine to help me sleep. I really needed to sleep. We all did.
The next day we actually made progress in the course. It felt like a little miracle somehow, considering the day before. The day consisted of lots of practical work with the assessment of students that arrived for our benefit. We used my colleague's kids as extra guinea pigs. Handy to have so many dyslexic people in one crowd. We didn't bother with the dog. To think that he would be struggling with dyslexia on top of only having three legs was too much to bear. So we avoided the subject completely with him.
We were all getting a little giddy with relief by the time the end of the seminar rolled around. My instructor was calling me a shuffling buzzard and she dubbed my friend the dumbfounded dodo bird. This woman, despite her quirks is an absolute genius and one of the Godliest women I know. She could be incredibly wealthy considering her gifts and what she has accomplished, but she only considers herself a missionary, fulfilling her purpose her on earth to help others.
I can't quite figure out why God would choose me to sit under her tutelage and be given such great opportunities that feel too lofty for my capabilities. I am amazed that I should have the privilege of being chosen and loved by this woman. I will try to prove myself worthy and use these gifts to help others even as she does.
The six of us jammed back into my little red car to zoom back to Victoria where we picked up Darla's partially fixed van. We dropped by her grandparents to say hello and then were on the ferry and happily on our way to Kelowna. Or so we thought. I missed a turnoff and suddenly we were headed for the border. Mr. GPS didn't help and we stopped at a gas station. I missed yet another turnoff further down the highway which added to my general misery and the length of the already ridiculously long journey. We didn't get home till 3:30 a.m.
Exhausted.
But we have a certificate.
The bumbling buzzard and dinglebat dodo bird succeeded in their mission
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